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Friday, July 15, 2011

Hello everybody! It's been a long absence. Summer is here, school's out, and I'm busier than ever trying to keep my kids entertained. September can't come fast enough! This means I haven't had that much time to sew or try new patterns, unfortunately.

So I thought about sharing some tidbits with you on how to achieve perfect bias binding seams. There are about a trillion tutorials on how to make bias binding (or bias tape), continuous binding binding, etc. so I am not going to reinvent the wheel and write another tutorial. Usually you're told to position two strips, right sides together, at a right angle, like this:

What most tutorials don't tell you, and this is where I always had the most trouble, is to where exactly position the top strip, so that when you sew both strips together you don't get this:

FAIL!! If you don't position the strips correctly, then the binding will get all distorted. Not good.

Here's how to avoid this. I am making a regular 2" wide, double fold bias tape. If you're going to use a 1/2" seam allowance, you need to position the top tape at the 3/4" mark, like this:

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Hello everyone!I am back after a long absence. I have come to the realization that one tutorial a month is all I can juggle for now. I wish my activity on this blog was a bit more prolific, but hey, it is what it is! This month I am bringing you a cute girl's top. It's the View A of McCall's 6062. This pattern is very easy to make and as you can see it turns out quite nice! I made the above top for my friend's daughter. Want to know how to make one?

One thing I would like to note is that I finished my tops a bit differently than the original. First of all, the pattern was WAY too long for this girl, so I had to shorten it quite a bit. Second, you'll notice that the original top has a ruffle on the bottom:

Well, I didn't want to deal with a ruffle this time. Plus, I made a true novice mistake. When I measured my model’s length, instead of leaving a couple of inches to make the hem, I cut the fabric at the hemline!! Duh! So one of the tops I finished with home made bias tape and the other with a bit of lace trim I had lying around. They turned out fine and easier to maintain than a ruffle, I think. So I apologize in advance for not covering that step in this tutorial. It seems easy enough to make, though!

OK, so let's get to work! Cut out your pattern pieces. Put the front and back pieces right sides together. Stitch along the sides with a 5/8” seam allowance (this is the seam allowance to be used for the whole project) and serge.

Now it’s time to put the sleeves together. Fold them like the picture below, right sides together and stitch along the short sides. Serge. Press the seam to one side.

To hem the sleeves, turn in the sleeves 5/8” and press. Fold out and align the raw edge with the crease you just created. Press. Turn in along the crease and press again. Then stitch. Your sleeve is hemmed!

Now we’re going to attach the sleeves. This part is tricky but it can be done. Be patient! Step 4 of the pattern is where this procedure is explained, and I must say it’s pretty clear. My pictures below will give you a more visual guidance. Remember to go SLOW as you sew along that curve. Don’t forget to serge or finish this seam once you’re done!

This is what your top looks like so far. Imagine both sleeves are attached :-).

Time to make the casing for the top elastic. Turn the neck edge to the inside along the foldline, which happens to be 5/8” from the edge. Press. The pattern tells you to turn in 1/4” on the raw edge, but since I’ll be using 1/4”-wide elastic, I think this is too tight. I turned in 3/8” instead. Press and saw very close to the edge. Remember to leave an opening for the elastic!

Steps 6 and 7 should be left for the very end, in my opinion. I don’t think this is a good time to insert the elastic. So let’s move on the casing for the waist elastic. Place pattern piece 5 on one of the casing pieces and use pins to mark the location of the opening. Two things to note here:

1) The opening is exactly 3/4” which is too tight for a 3/4”-wide elastic. I made the opening a bit bigger. Between 3/4” and 1”.

2) I am not sure what the point is of leaving an opening on both sides. After all, you insert the elastic through one opening only. Because it was my muslin, I left an opening on both sides, but while making the final top I only did so with one.

Moving along, press the seam allowances flat to the sides. Then turn in the long edges and press.

Using the pattern as a guide, determine where the casing should be sewed. The upper edge of the casing should match the placement line. Pin carefully and stitch the top and bottom very close to the edges.

This is what it should look like!

Insert the elastic and use a slipstitch to close the opening.

Now is a good time to insert the elastic at the top of the garment and stitch the opening shut. Sorry I don’t have a picture of that step.

So again, this is what the top looks like. Now go make one for that special little girl in your life! And please DO let me know if you have any questions!